<p>Deduction in the style of Sherlock Holmes<br /> This resource is great fun. Some of the best moments in the Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle are when Holmes examines an object, usually closely watched by his trusty assistant Dr Watson, and makes outstanding claims about it which often utterly confound Watson. Once he explains what he has seen and then shows how he has made a logical deduction to reveal something that is hidden and unknown then Watson hears the words, “elementary, my dear Watson” although it must be remembered that although Holmes says “elementary” a lot and “my dear Watson” a lot, it is a surprising fact that he never once actually says those two things together!<br /> Ask your students to bring in an object (or have a ready supply for them to chose and use…I used to scour charity shops for all kinds of objects and then they were convenient and ready to use – note, they can also be used effectively as props when you set up drama role play situations).<br /> Now read them the example which has been carefully written in the style of Sherlock Holmes. Note that the style is not so much an imitation of the language but more an adapted version of the logical thought process.<br /> Then ask them to write a similar passage based on their own object and their own creative imaginations.<br /> As a tip to get everybody quickly engaged in this activity I found that it worked well if I read them my example to get their minds in the right ‘frame of reference’ and then took an object from the choices and wrote notes about it on the board based on suggestions from the whole class and then asked them to have a go themselves with their own object. Then, if they were stuck for ideas ask them to write out in full the notes made by the whole class which are visible on the board.</p>

<p>Write out the missing part of a strange tale.<br /> In this short story (1800 words), The Silsbury Playhouse, especially written to engage the interest and intrigue your students, two old friends meet up and have a nice day together in a historic town. Later in the day something very strange happens which prompts one of the friends to talk about an incident which happened years ago. A dramatic moment then takes place but the reader does not witness it.<br /> Activity.<br /> Read the story to your students and ask them to think about what may have happened to Dave between descending the stairs to the studio and then appearing, as he did a while later. Ask them to write out what happened. Although it will be based on their imaginations it is important that it ties in with the context of the short story as a whole.</p>

<p>How to craft a description and then use that description in the dramatic context of a story.<br /> This resource is a step by step guide to teach students how to craft a description and then use that description, by adapting it, into a dramatic context of a story.<br /> A worked example is offered for illustrative purposes.</p>

<p>Writing interesting little character sketches for your stories.<br /> Johnnie Young has drawn on his thirty five years of teaching English experience to help craft this resource.<br /> When the students write stories and describe characters they often get locked into a certain type of description. For example:<br /> “He was a big man, with a large brown coat and he was very strong and angry and his voice was loud and he had very thick hair which was long and he was scary and his hands were big and his eyes were very blue and…” and so on and so on.<br /> One way to teach them to enhance interest in characterisation is to carry out a little written exercise where they focus attention onto the behaviour of the character in a little scene. This little scene becomes interesting in itself and acts as a microcosm of what the character is like. The behaviour of the character will show the essence.<br /> This resource offers ideas for ten scenarios with a fully worked example and a transcript of actual words the teacher could say to the students to help teach them in reviewing critically the example illustration.<br /> Offer them this list of written exercises for them to choose. One has been selected and worked through as an illustrative worked example.</p>

<p>Metaphysical conceits – have fun inventing them</p> <p>This resource explains the idea of a metaphysical conceit and then suggests a process for writing and using them. Three worked examples are given to help students see how the idea of a conceit can progress from an idea to a small poem. The purpose of the resource is to have fun creating poetry and also to give a unique insight into the mechanics of a metaphysical conceit which will help understanding when reading metaphysical poetry written by such poets as John Donne and Andrew Marvell.</p>

<p>Writing task: Ask your students to imagine an ancient wood set on a steep hill. A stranger arrives in an exhausted state late one stormy night at a tavern nearby the woods and tells an unbelievable tale about what had just happened to him in the woods. Although it is unbelievable it is told in a way which is convincing. Ask your students to write that tale. A short story called Reginald is provided as an inspiration to their imaginations to help them devise their own story.</p>

<p>Shakespeare’s Caliban in the Tempest is interviewed by aliens</p> <p>This is an imaginative “what if?” situation in which an alien spacecraft is hovering above the island in the Tempest and has seen, with its special cameras, Caliban who seems to be in a state of distress. They land their craft and interview him. The aim of the activity is to encourage the students to look carefully at the extract of Shakespearean language, bring in their own knowledge of the play and create an imaginary conversation between Caliban and the aliens to demonstrate their understanding.</p> <p>An example is provided which can be used to start the exercise off and then used for review of the students’ work.</p>

<p>Ask your students to write a story where an act of kindness goes a long way. To inspire them read them the story below, especially written by Johnnie Young to hold their attention. The story is set in 1961 in Scotland in snowy weather and there are lots of references in the narration highlighting how much things have changed since then.<br /> The story is approximately 3000 words long and will take approximately 15 to 20 minutes to read.<br /> Gertie applies for a job</p>

<p>Write a detailed description of a place in deterioration.<br /> This resource will guide a piece of descriptive writing.<br /> It includes:<br /> A checklist of top tips for creative writing. The tips don’t just say what to use but include many examples of how to use them. These include, structure, use of detail, personification, similes, precise vocabulary, glimpses of imagining the past, effect on narrator and many more.<br /> An example of a piece of descriptive writing is included.<br /> The students can either continue with the example or write their own description from the start.<br /> Writing task:<br /> Imagine you visit a place that has been derelict for many years. Describe it in an interesting way.<br /> Suggestions for preparation of this resource.<br /> Show you students pictures of derelict places. For example:<br /> a) Factory<br /> b) Fairground<br /> c) Railway station<br /> d) Theatre<br /> e) Mansion<br /> f) Hotel<br /> g) Swimming lido<br /> h) Lighthouse</p> <p>Checklist of top tips for descriptive creative writing:</p> <ol> <li>Use first person narrative.</li> <li>Organise the structure so that as you move from one part to another the description becomes automatically chronologically structured.</li> <li>Select aspects to focus in on.</li> <li>Write in detail so that the reader can imagine it clearly.</li> <li>Introduce the weather to help create mood.</li> <li>Choose certain objects to personify to add interest. Eg: ‘The main gate was lying on the ground, still attached to the post by one stubborn rusty hinge.’</li> <li>Make the description convincing by showing how you moved about as you observed. Eg: ‘…and I crouched down to take a closer look.’</li> <li>Selectively use similes to create interesting effects. Eg: ‘Stepping onto the platform made me feel like a trespasser in an alien world.’</li> <li>Try to use unusual and interesting words to get precise descriptions. Eg: ‘It was given over to weeds but beautifully festooned with wild flowers nodding in pink, orange and yellow in the small wind.’</li> <li>Try to include general instances of imagining the past. Eg: ‘…it was difficult now to imagine the mighty steam locomotives which had once hourly raged through, gushing their white and grey clouds into the sky.</li> </ol>

<p>Sometimes things are not as you would expect. Ask your students to think of something they know to be unusual where someone can be surprised by someone else’s knowledge and suggest they write a monologue to describe it.<br /> An example is given. In this particular example the surprise concerns a fob watch and is presented in the form of a monologue containing a ‘just for fun’ bet.</p> <p>THIS IS JUST THE FIRST PART. THE WHOLE MONOLOGUE IS INCLUDED IN THE RESOURCE</p> <p>The gold fop watch.<br /> When I was very young my grandfather gave me his gold fob watch and I have treasured it ever since. I have won dozens of ‘just for fun’ bets with it. It goes like this: “What is the Roman numeral for one on my watch?” The unsuspecting person says “I” and I say “Well done!” Then I say, “What then is the Roman numeral for two on my watch?” The unsuspecting person replies confidently “II”. I say “Well done!” Then I say…</p>

<p>Read to your class the poem about a meeting in London. The same account is then told in the form of a prose, for the first few lines. Ask your students to continue the writing in prose to match the poem in the style shown.<br /> Visit to London - poem (just the opening shown here - the resource includes the whole poem)<br /> Stepping on the platform, the noise, the air, the feel,<br /> Getting here at long last now hardly seems real.<br /> I wondered if she’d be there, by the number 18 gate,<br /> If she was or wasn’t would determine my whole fate.<br /> Sadly, when I got there and put my ticket in the slot,<br /> I scanned around and thought, “Maybe she forgot!”<br /> I bought myself a pastry and a coffee with some cream<br /> In a café quite nearby so that I could watch the scene.</p>

<p>Trying to live like Robinson Crusoe. Read 2000 word story and continue.<br /> Whole one hour lesson resource for creative writing – thriller .<br /> Lesson notes.</p> <ol> <li>Read the story to your class. It is 2000 words and will take approximately ten minutes to read. Provide your students with a copy for each student.</li> <li>The story is specially written to engage their interest. It is written in first person narrative and tells the tale of someone who gets bored in his office job and hungers after adventure. He sets out for a remote uninhabited Pacific Island, on his own full of Robinson Crusoe notions of romanticised adventure. But things turn creepy and he presses a button on a device given to him by his friend George, just before he left England. The device will summon his friend to him.</li> <li>Task: imagine you are George, his friend and you receive the Mayday message. You travel to New Zealand and take a ferry to the island. Continue the story…</li> <li>As preparation for the writing have a small class discussion where you consider what might happen next. Try to encourage your students to write in the style of the story so far.</li> <li>When they have finished have a few read out to the class.</li> <li>Then discuss with the class what makes a good story and how their stories could be improved on even more.</li> </ol> <ul> <li></li> </ul>

<p>Bongo the Clown writing competition – you be the judge.<br /> Bongo the Clown stepped into the ring and entertained the audience for eighteen minutes. The circus owner ran an advert in the local paper the next day:<br /> DID YOU SEE BONGO AT THE CIRCUS? WHAT DID YOU THINK? WRITE A DESCRIPTION AND SEND IN TO ENTER OUR WRITING COMPETITION. FREE CIRCUS TICKETS GIVEN AS PRIZES.<br /> Ask your students to read all 7 writing entries and put the top three, of their choice, in order with best as number one and then explain in detail their decision. This works very well in groups of four.<br /> The seven entries are included.</p>

<p>Bertram the Shepherd– CONTINUE THE STORY – 12-14 YEAR OLDS</p> <p>This story opening has been written by Johnnie Young, who has taught English and story writing to children for over thirty years.<br /> Read the start of the story which has been specially written to capture the imaginations of your students. Let them have a copy to refer to. Then ask them to continue the story. Read out a few and discuss what makes a good story.<br /> I think you will find that there is something in the way the opening works which will capture the imaginations of your students.</p>

<p>Read the opening of this story to your class. It is 1177 words in length. Roger can’t sleep on the morning of his 80th birthday so he goes for an early morning stroll. He encounters a strange object which seems to be able to fly and by sheer chance knocks off a small piece of it. Having been an engineer all his life he takes the piece of material home and subjects it to various tests and is astounded by what he finds. Then there is a knock on the door. Somebody, or something wants it back.<br /> The story has been specially written by Johnnie Young, who has taught English and Creative writing for over thirty years. It is designed to captivate the attention of your students and will inspire them to continue the story in their own words from their own imaginations.<br /> When they have finished read a few out and hold a discussion about what makes a good story.</p>

<p>Mongo is thirsty.<br /> This story opening has been written by Johnnie Young, who has taught English and story writing to children for over thirty years.<br /> Read the start of the story which has been specially written to capture the imaginations of your students. Let them have a copy to refer to. Then ask them to continue the story. Read out a few and discuss what makes a good story.<br /> I think you will find that there is something in the way the opening works which will trigger fascinating and perhaps unexpected responses from your students.</p>

<p>Why losing your temper can be dangerous and what, in practical terms, you can do about it.<br /> Explanation<br /> This is the wording of a 1400 word assembly and takes eight to nine minutes to present. It has a powerful message and is clearly presented. It has been especially written by Johnnie Young who has taught children for over thirty years. The message shows a real life situation where somebody loses their temper and a reflection on what happened is given together with some sage advice for a vital life skill.</p>

<p>Writing challenge: Write a short story where something, by chance, helps someone understand a problem they have.<br /> An example is shown below. Two women are on holiday when one of them examines a spider’s web which, by chance, helps her understand a difficult situation she is in.</p>

<p>Descriptive writing based on random chaos<br /> Read your students this short story where Frank demonstrates to Oliver that random biscuit crumbs can become fascinating pictures and all it takes is a little bit of imagination.<br /> “The human mind does not like meaningless chaos and so when we see a collection of crumbs which are random our minds impose a pattern, an order onto the shapes to forge something that makes sense.”<br /> Once you have engaged their curiosity with the specially written story (by Johnnie Young) ask them to continue the story from their own imaginations.<br /> It is a good idea to set them a piece of research homework to follow this idea up:<br /> “Research the work of the German artist Max Ernst (1891-1976) and write, in your own words (crucial requirement), a summary of how he used random shapes and patterns to give him artist ideas for his own work.”<br /> Also it is an interesting idea for the students themselves to try using randomly sprinkled crumbs of a biscuit to use it as the story does – that is to take a picture of the crumbs, print it out and use coloured pens to create a picture based on the crumbs. The results are fascinating. Again, this part works much better if it is organised carefully, with written instructions, for homework.</p>

<p>The Story of Wendy buying the Cherries – told ten different ways<br /> You read your students the short baseline story and then ask them to re-write it in different ways. It will help with experimentation of story writing skills, style and genre as they experiment and have fun. Ten versions are included for teacher reference:<br /> Version One is the plain base story.<br /> Version Two focuses on Wendy’s thoughts before she leaves the house and when she returns but misses out the part in the middle.<br /> Version Three focuses on a conversation that Wendy has a few days later with her friend at work.<br /> Version Four is in Gothic horror style.<br /> Version Five is the story told from the perspective of the market seller.<br /> Version Six is the report of the story made by a police officer.<br /> Version Seven is the story told by a bystander who happens to be an artist.<br /> Version Eight is in the style of a Western<br /> Version Nine Newspaper report<br /> Version Ten is the story told with a focus on sounds</p>

<p>Imagine a farm worker suspected of ill treating the animals. Imagine if things don’t go too well for him.<br /> Read this short story to your students and then ask them to write their own story from their imaginations about some clever insects.<br /> The short story is approximately one thousand words long.</p>